Out of the desert!

Just a quick one - we'll post some great photos later.  Made it out of the Stony Desert and successfully negotiated the Birdsville Track from North to South (the trip only cost a rear shattered window in the Prado and a broken Andersen plug) - tick another one off the bucket list!
Currently in Leigh Creek, SA and planning our side trip into the Flinder's Ranges.

Bash finale

It's 0800hrs on Monday morning.  The 4WD Action Birdsville Bash is over and everyone is packing up and heading home.  We're going to wait till Wednesday morning to head out - leave a bit of time for the roads to clear and the dust to settle.  It's been a great week - 50 degree temperatures, 60kph winds and a little bit of torrential rain; but the people of Birdsville put on a fantastic show for the 2,000 4WD enthusiasts who turned up for the party.

 Roothy's shout at the Birdsville Hotel

The 4WD Action team jamming the blues

4WD Action Bash

 Graham and me

 Roothy's 'handbrake'

 Roothy and Shauno

 Jamie

 Me and The Man

 Graham

 Glen

 Milo

 Roothy

 The Pub

Shorty

News flash!

News Flash - hot off the press.

At 0954hrs on Friday 29 March 2013, Canberra adventurers, Colleen and Michael Tharme sucessfully conquered the infamous 'Big Red', the highest sand dune on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

On the way back to base camp Michael saved Jamie (from Jamie's Touring Solutions) and his 4x4 from being viciously attacked by a very dead brown snake. Jamie was heard to say, "Thought it was dead, but wasn't going to take any chances and get out of the car."

The driver of the renown Toyota Prado savouring his triumph at the top of Big Red (photo courtesy of CMB Tharme).

 The unbelievable sight on the other side of Big Red - lots of water, lush and green.

 Yours truly.

Birdsville - what next?

After nearly dying of heat exhaustion over the last few days (got to 51.4 degrees) now we got severe wind.  It started to blow during the night and we had to get up before sunrise to take the tarp off the tent otherwise we would have lost it.  We've tied the whole trailer down to trees and anything else we can find (tent pegs aren't much good as we are on gibber sand), including the truck, to stop from lifting off.  The wind is a steady 45kph gusting up to over 60kph.  Everything is covered in fine dusty sand.  Made a cup of coffee a minute ago - nice and crunchy!  There is a chance of rain later today; great!
Who's bright bloody idea was it to go to Birdsfrigginville???
If we survive the rest of the week, looks like we will go south taking the Birdsville Track to Marree, then maybe down to the Eyre Peninsular - the Kimberley can wait till the weather improves!
See ya all; maybe - if we haven't blown off the planet . . . .

Catch up again: from Parrawalla to Birdsville

The journey from central NSW to Charleville in southern QLD was long, hot, flat, with roadworks and smelly artesian water!  We spent 2 nights in Mitchell next to the local river (we won’t talk about the fishing).  Our next stop was Charleville, where we found the cold water tap (artesian) was hotter than the hot water tap!  The temperature started to climb into the mid 30’s and it didn’t take long to find the local swimming pool.

Our next major leg was from Charleville via Windorah to Birdsville – what spectacular country, apart from the severe heat it was extraordinarily beautiful.  It is amazing how much water is still in this semi desert-type country.  We later read up on the Great Artesian Basin and the Lake Eyre Basin (do a Google, it’s amazing information).  The average size of properties in the Windorah area is 1.2 to 2 million acres with 1 head of cattle per 80 acres.  We actually wimped out at Windorah and stayed in an airconditioned room behind the pub – shame we can’t do that here in Birdsville – this heat is making everything melt.

The trip from Windorah to Birdsville took us on our first serious dirt road for about 280km since picking up the camper.  Got to say the road was extremely good and we had no problems, but the temperature jumped to just over 40 and we had the a/c on full bore.  We were going to stop half way to Birdsville and thought twice as the temps continued to soar; so we stayed in the comfort of the airconditioned car and pushed on.  We used a lot of fuel and the Prado was finding it tough.  In the last leg we got around 18lts/100kms.

The road to Birdsville crossed a fairly diverse range of country; one minute it was totally flat and brown, the next you’d drive over a pimple of a hill that came out of nowhere and there were green rolling fields and flowing creeks!  Then there are the ‘overtaking areas’ – the runways from the Royal Flying Doctors.  If you’re ever out this way, make sure you look into the skies front and back as you drive down the 2km of runway.

We arrived at Birdsville mid-afternoon to find the campground was flat red dirt, 41 degrees with a million bush flies!  We immediately put the CT up while we were still coolish from the a/c, but that didn’t last long – both of us nearly collapsing from heat stroke.  Then to the pub, where we wallowed in the cool beer and cooler temperatures.

Today was spent just trying to stay cool.  I can’t believe just how hot its got; and unfortunately, its going to stay over 40 for the next 2 days, before coming back to the low 30’s by Thursday.  So, before the 4WD Action team and the rest of the crew get here on Thursday/Friday, we’re going to probably spend all our time in the pub staying cooooool.

 On the road to Birdsville.

 Flat and hot!

 We said we wouldn't talk about the fishin!

 Where does it end!

 Da flies, da flies . . . . .

 Birdsville street map

 The Birdsville billabong

Hot, Hot Hot in Charleville!

33 degrees and heading for 41 by the time we get to Birdsville!
Going to migrate south if this keeps up!